Fernando Alonso has been hoping for his 33rd F1 victory, which has been delayed because of Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance. However, Aston Martin might have found a way to provide Alonso the extra bit of pace to beat the Dutchman.
Starting from the front row in Canada, Alonso was expecting to put pressure on Verstappen. But, the 41-year-old was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton at turn 1. He reclaimed the position, but a mechanical issue prevented the driver from battling the race winner.
Alonso is now 3rd in the driver’s championship and closer to overtaking Sergio Perez. However, Aston Martin’s data reveals that the veteran is getting closer to matching Red Bull’s pace.
Aston Martin getting closer to challenging Red Bull
In Canada, Fernando Alonso finished only 9.5 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen. Red Bull won all other races with a lead of more than 20 seconds, making this the closest finish between them and a non-Red Bull car.
As per Auto Motor and Sport’s report, Aston Martin is pleased with the most recent upgrades. The British outfit believes their recent package is capable of matching Red Bull’s speed on the track. This has boosted Alonso’s confidence in claiming his 33rd win this year.
Duel of the GOATs 🐐⚔️🐐@alo_oficial makes his move on @LewisHamilton!#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/J2EuGeU9lg
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2023
The Spaniard said, “We will be able to optimize the package from Spielberg and Silverstone onwards.” The Canadian GP weekend’s erratic schedule did not provide the best answers for the Silverstone-based team.
FP1 was canceled due to F1’s technical issues, while FP3 and Qualifying occurred in wet conditions. Yet, simulations and wind tunnel data reveal F1’s dark horses are ready to make a big upset this year by beating Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso on battling Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso has been on a roll since the start of the season. The driver has achieved 6 podiums in the first 8 races of the season. The Spaniard hopes to end his decade-long wait for his 33rd race win this year.
The 41-year-old is still far from beating Max Verstappen on track. The Red Bull RB19’s massive speed advantage has made it impossible for Alonso to win a race so far.
Alonso’s best chance to beat Verstappen was in Monaco, as the track layout and weather played to his advantage. However, the Dutchman’s fantastic quali lap and race strategy edged him to win the race. But the F1 veteran believes the team is improving and heading in the right direction.
He told Sky Sports, “At the moment, I’m enjoying it. There is more to come. I want to win a race this year. Today I thought it was possible that Max had a little mistake or a bad pit stop but we were a little too far behind.”
The 2x world champion claims more opportunities will follow as the season progresses. The driver is also confident of beating Sergio Perez to claim P2 in the driver’s championship.
